My son, Anthony, was born with clubfoot on his left foot. I knew at 20 weeks pregnancy during an ultrasound that there was a chance he would be born with clubfoot. At 6 days old, Anthony was seen by a doctor in Chicago and was casted and treated for clubfoot.
Incorrect Clubfoot Treatment
For months, he was treated incorrectly and after 17 months old, Anthony foot relapsed. The doctor in Chicago always used half casts and had us soak Anthony’s foot the night before so that he wasn’t in a cast for the appointment. They also fitted Anthony for an AFO which caused Anthony’s calf muscle to stop growing. His left leg is much smaller than his right leg.
The Ponseti Method
I sent Dr. Ponseti an email to discuss Anthony’s foot and before you knew it, my family was in a car driving 4 hours to Iowa to see Dr. Ponseti. Dr. Ponseti casted Anthony’s foot immediately using full casts. When the series of casts were done, Anthony wore the Denis Browne Bar till he was 6 years old.
Different Size Shoes
Anthony’s left foot is 2 sizes smaller than the right foot. We are very thankful for Nordstrom’s Store for charging customers for one pair of shoes in 2 different sizes.
My son is a very active boy and is one of the fastest boys in his 4th grade class. He is also a travel baseball player. Anthony’s foot turns in just a bit but Dr. Moceuende is keeping an eye on it. There is another surgery out there where they move a bone and tendon. We are holding off on this surgery in hopes that Anthony’s foot will not turn in again.
I hope parents who have a child born with clubfoot who read this story find a doctor using the Ponseti method correctly and your child’s foot will be beautiful.
